Essential gear/mods for a newbie

[Danny Outlaw]

Im just getting into overlanding and am unsure where to start. I have two main questions....

1. Aside from lift/tires, what are the most important mods to make as soon as possible? ( Breathers, snorkel, secondary battery, etc)

2. What gear do you consider essential to carry? ( Max tracks, hi-lift, shovel, etc. )

Trying to figure what to invest in first.

Thanks in advance! Super excited to learn.

 

[Adventure Bully Rig]

I'm new here too! From what I've read...
1.) Rock sliders if you're planning on getting on the rocks, depends on where you plan to run your rig.
2.)Water, comms, emergency food supplies, a shovel, one of those battery jumpers...
Also, there are a bunch of videos on YouTube to get started, they all say the buddy system is important when starting out.

 

[Hank Outdoors]

the buddy system is important when starting out.

I agree with the buddy system! A couple of my thought s are... What is the terrain you are planning to tackle the most? If any of it is "difficult" and rocky I would look at rock sliders and a winch first. Then see what your rig will do and build from there. Also, how far from civilization will you be? First aid and communication are often overlooked. Don't count on having cell service to call for help. Just my 2 cents...

Good luck

 

[Smileyshaun]

A map and a sense of adventure , all the other stuff is non essential but nice upgrades . You can overland in a car

 

[TerryD]

Welcome!!

I think firstly you need to decide for yourself what you want from Overlanding. You didn't really mention your background in your post or what kinds of things you would like to do, so I'm not sure where to start from.

No need to dump money into lifts, tires, snorkles and what-not's until you decide how much of that stuff you need. I've done quite well with my stock Xterra so far. Also, most of my more recent trips without the family have been sleeping in a hammock and just carrying a single burner Coleman stove. I think my full kit that way is worth about $150 and I sleep and eat quite well (seared flat-iron steak).

The first step is usually get your vehicle up to snuff. Make sure the brakes, fluids, and other simple items like lights and horn are all in working order. No reason to be unsafe! Do some research on your vehicle and see if it has any known weaknesses. My Xterra for example is notorous for blowing axle seals because the breather gets stopped up. The fix for this is removing the factory one and replacing it with a pipe nipple then extending the breather up behind the tail-light with vacuum tube and a filter on the end. Easy, $20 upgrade that made my Xterra more dependable.

Next, plan a little trip. Sit down with some maps of your local area and plot out a track you'd feel comfortable driving and then GO! Getting out there and using your gear will teach you a lot about what you need. I've had loads of fun just exploring the areas around my house and the local state parks. It's easy to get caught up in the "building" aspect of it, but first and foremost you have to ask yourself if you really NEED that stuff to go do what YOU want to do.

 

[soonersfan]

Don’t buy a bunch of crap right out of the gate. First, just go camping. As you encounter adventures or obstacles that you’d like to do but don’t think you have the gear or the rig to do, then start asking yourself what you are lacking and building up from there.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

That’s a hard question to answer without knowing what kind of vehicle you are starting with. As a Jeep guy I tend to look at overlanding through that lens. My 04 Jeep Rubicon has sliders, skid plates, lockers, off-road gearing, D44 axles, etc. form the factory so I was already ahead of the game. A Jeep Wrangler X from that same year, although capable off-road, isn’t nearly as capable as the Rubicon. And some choose a basic model specifically because they want to build their own rig knowing they will replace axles/bumpers, regear, lift, install skid plates/sliders/winch, etc.

The next question is what do you want to do with that vehicle. A vehicle reasonably equipped (from the factory or otherwise) can be perfectly acceptable for most trails getting you most places. But that same vehicle probably won’t get you through the Rubicon Trail.

 

[JeffG98034]

Im just getting into overlanding and am unsure where to start. I have two main questions....

1. Aside from lift/tires, what are the most important mods to make as soon as possible? ( Breathers, snorkel, secondary battery, etc)

2. What gear do you consider essential to carry? ( Max tracks, hi-lift, shovel, etc. )

Trying to figure what to invest in first.

Thanks in advance! Super excited to learn.

I'm new here as well, However I have had a few Jeeps TJ and JK , I have went down the rabbit hole once to many times on builds, I would say keep it simple maybe a lift, tires, wheels..go from that point...Mine is a daily. What I learned before the builds can get heavy and the gas milage goes to bad to really bad fast...word of the wise this can get $$$$$ fast...

 

[slomatt]

No mods or gear or are required. In my opinion you only need two things:
1) A sense of adventure.
2) Let someone know where you are going and when to expect you back.

That's it. You can go "overlanding" in a Honda Accord if you want.

From there it's just a question of:
- How difficult of trails do you want to explore?
- How comfortable do you want to be when camping?
- How self-sufficient do you want to be?
- How much do you want to spend?

Of course it is fun to dream about mods and gear, I totally get that. But, my recommendation is to keep it simple and start small. Focus on growing your skills (first aid training, learning how to maintain your car, off-road driving) and get out and explore. If you use good common sense you can stay out of almost all bad situations, and along the way you'll learn what mods (if any) and gear you need.

Oh, and #3... Have fun!

- Matt



ps. My top 5 "not exciting but important" gear recommendations:

1) First aid kit, and knowledge of how to use it.
2) Solid spare tire that has air in it.
3) Fire extinguisher.
4) Front and rear recovery points and a recovery strap.
5) Basic toolkit.

pps. Here I am in 2003 driving a friend's "overland" Accord. It saw lots of miles on dirt roads with no stucks or flats. No you wouldn't run the Con in this, but you could definitely load it up with gear and go camping in the back country.

 

[Danny Outlaw]

Thanks for all the advice. It has helped a lot.

Just to answer some of the questions....

I have a 17 Tacoma TRD Off-road
I'm no stranger to the out doors. Raced sled dogs in Alaska, white water river guider in TN, solo backpack out west for weeks at a time.

Overlanding seems like a natural extension of what I already love doing.

Im not so much looking to do anything super technical (more than a gravel road but less than the rubicon trail) but more interested in being able to reliably get to remote destination via a fun trail.

 

[soonersfan]

Thanks for all the advice. It has helped a lot.

Just to answer some of the questions....

I have a 17 Tacoma TRD Off-road
I'm no stranger to the out doors. Raced sled dogs in Alaska, white water river guider in TN, solo backpack out west for weeks at a time.

Overlanding seems like a natural extension of what I already love doing.

Im not so much looking to do anything super technical (more than a gravel road but less than the rubicon trail) but more interested in being able to reliably get to remote destination via a fun trail.

Well that helps. You’re not exactly a newbie. I just got back from a 5 day off road adventure. I can tell you hands down that I got the most bang for my buck from my sliders. If you’re not locked, a winch is a good idea too. If you’re running with someone who has one, you can hold off for now. You have a pretty capable rig. I still say get out there and do some of the things you want to do and then decide what or if you should upgrade.

 

[Kent R]

Since you are not a newbie and have a very capable rig the advice I give to people new to vehicle dependent travel is get good comms and navigation.

 

[OffroadTreks]

Go drive the heck out of your rig stock. To many people have no idea what the mission are the goals of their vehicle are. I think it's important that you define a mission. And let that guide your build.

Most just start buying parts, changing tires and going bonkers before they know themselves or what their rig is capable of. And end up with things they don't need/use or redoing things.

I suggest get out there and find your limitations and then do your mods based on your needs/wants when you encounter a limiting factor that is hindering your adventuring.

 

[TerryD]

I'll also recommend sliders, recovery gear (winch?), comms and navigation now, knowing your background.

My Xterra does great but I was mangling the step tubes and didn't want a repeat of my Cherokee with the smashed in rocker panel so I got some White Knuckle off-road sliders with the flatter tube angle. They work great for a step to access the roof and help the kids get in and out.

 

[Smileyshaun]

If you can live out of a backpack for extended periods of time you're actually already ahead of most people that go
"overlanding" (aka car camping) . Because you already know what's actually needed to be self sufficient outdoors . Have a full size spare and let people know where your heading and your good to go . If you're going to be heading out solo a come along or some sort of self recovery device is not a bad idea . To start off take a couple of I would say more well-known Overland routes that way if you run into trouble you will be more likely to get assistance. Also not sure how your mechanical abilities are but taking the time to learn how to fix normal things that might break off road is a good thing to know, I have seen people with all the tools in the world but no idea how to fix anything and still end up very stuck.

 

[Danny Outlaw]

If you can live out of a backpack for extended periods of time you're actually already ahead of most people that go
"overlanding" (aka car camping) . Because you already know what's actually needed to be self sufficient outdoors . Have a full size spare and let people know where your heading and your good to go . If you're going to be heading out solo a come along or some sort of self recovery device is not a bad idea . To start off take a couple of I would say more well-known Overland routes that way if you run into trouble you will be more likely to get assistance. Also not sure how your mechanical abilities are but taking the time to learn how to fix normal things that might break off road is a good thing to know, I have seen people with all the tools in the world but no idea how to fix anything and still end up very stuck.

Yeah. Thats my biggest void in knowledge. I know almost nothing about the mechanics. I would be one of those people with all the tools and not know what to do with them. Any help or resources there would be great.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Well with a 2017 your probably good on the mechanical

 

[vegasjeepguy]

As others have said you have the basics covered with your current setup and now everything else is a “nice to have” or a luxury. My first Overland type vehicle was a stock 1988 Toyota 4x4 pickup truck with either AT or MT tires. I ran it off-road all over Alabama and Colorado learning as I went. That was back in the day when I had no idea what lockers, sliders or winches were. The one thing I did know was it’s better to go with a buddy and spent a few times getting recovered from snow or mud by buddies with more capable vehicles. But every time out was a learning experience.

The great thing about your current setup is you can mod a little at a time and each one will have an impact on your capabilities. IMO your first priority is armor to protect what you have. Sliders and skid plates aren’t glamorous, but go along way to keep you from breaking stuff.

 

[Danny Outlaw]

Well with a 2017 your probably good on the mechanical

Agreed. Its just the solo backpacker in me want to feel confident in any situation.

 

[Danny Outlaw]

As others have said you have the basics covered with your current setup and now everything else is a “nice to have” or a luxury. My first Overland type vehicle was a stock 1988 Toyota 4x4 pickup truck with either AT or MT tires. I ran it off-road all over Alabama and Colorado learning as I went. That was back in the day that I had no idea what lockers, sliders or winches were. The one thing I did know was it’s better to go with a buddy and spent a few times getting recovered from snow or mud by buddies with more capable vehicles. But every time out was a learning experience.

The great thing about your current setup is you can mod a little at a time and each one will have an impact on your capabilities. IMO your first priority is armor to protect what you have. Sliders and skid plates aren’t glamorous, but go along way to keep you from breaking stuff.

Yeah. Going on my first group ride at the Georgia Buschraft spring gathering. So I'm sure I'll pick up some stuff there.

Based on everything said here, Im thinking sliders and some basic self recovery gear will be first. Followed by a CB so I can better participate in group rides while Im learning.